Summertime unplugged

Big thanks to Foresters for sponsoring this post and inspiring this summer.

What would you do if you had to give up tech for a summer?

Don’t panic! Let’s make this easier.

What would you do if your whole family pledged to give up all tech for an hour a day all summer? I was, let’s say, cautiously optimistic when we took the Tech Timeout Challenge by life insurance provider Foresters back in June. My kids were downright panic stricken, to be completely honest. They think an hour is half an eternity. Oh to be young again. I was a little worried, however, about how we’d cope without using the TV or our phones, tablets or laptops even momentarily on a daily basis. We’d never really tried to be that unplugged before.

I am lucky to be able to work from home around my kids’ schedules, so I planned on late work nights for myself and lazy mornings for the kids and me.  Mary still takes an afternoon nap, so we were pretty much housebound until 4pm or so most days. But then … then we shut down everything, went outside and stayed outside until the sun went down and little heads drooped.

It turns out that taking a tech time out isn’t so much about what you aren’t doing, after all. It’s all about what you are doing.

Dancing in the rain.

Learning to fish. The kid, not me. I believe in outsourcing.

Sliding on a beach under a pink sky and a full moon.

Making a killing at your lemonade stand.

Exploring new horizons.

Cooling down.

Cloud watching.

Eating your spaghetti OUTSIDE.

Ninja-tastic moves.

Becoming the big sister.

Finding a sandbox for three.

Learning to ride a bike. But with a helmet! He’s about to put one on. I swear.

Sitting at the top of the world.

Playing the day out.

One-footed popsicle eating.

Post-game Jumbo Burger.

Teamwork.

Riding out the summer at breakneck speed, on a caterpillar.

I didn’t closely monitor my husband’s phone usage and I clearly allowed myself to snap a few pictures to capture the moments, but I can tell you that every evening that we were together, all summer long, we were disengaged from the little electronic notifications in our pockets and living in the moment as a family. Sometimes those moments consisted of wipe outs and melt downs and altogether too much sand being tracked into the house, but I wouldn’t trade any one of them for anything the internet has to offer. I think we’ll make this a summer tradition.

Were you guys more unplugged throughout the summer too?

This post was generously sponsored by life insurance provider Foresters, but the opinions and images are my own. For more information, visit www.techtimeout.com.